


Friends and Sacrifices

by Blackmoondragon1415



Category: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993)
Genre: Feral Behavior, Friendship, Gen, Mindwiping, Self-Sacrifice, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-02
Packaged: 2018-03-26 18:28:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3860158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackmoondragon1415/pseuds/Blackmoondragon1415
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sort of extension of what went on that fateful night and after.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sacrifices

Rex wasn't sure what to think when he came across the decidedly disconcerting scene. The very man that they had been warned not to mix with no matter what, with a firm hold on Louie and Cecilia's shoulders.

"It's him. Professor Screweyes." He whispered as he took this in, knowing that all importance right now seemed to be getting the two kids out of there as fast as possible.

"Cecilia, get away from that man!" Dweeb pleaded, the same notion evident in his voice. Woog nodded his ascent.

"Hey, chill out! We just joined his circus." Louie nonchalantly replied, seemingly oblivious to their concerned looks or the fact that the man behind them now looked to the dinosaurs with a half-scrutinizing, half-unsettlingly curious eye, like that of a shoplifter seeing a target in a store.

"But that's Professor Screweyes! We were warned about him!" Rex said boldly, not just yet noticing the official-looking roll of paper in the professor's coat pocket. And this time, the professor himself came to answer.

"Warned? By who?" He asked sharply, now giving the t-rex an equally hostile look. The other dinosaurs and the slippery circus master seemed to square off for a moment before Rex fearlessly struck back with his answer.

"Your brother."

"So that's how you got here and funny you can talk! So he's fed you that brain stuff of his, and he warned you about me. Let him look to his own affairs. Did he show you that hooky wish-radio of his, uh?" The old man said slyly as he moved toward a nearby switchboard, pulling the switches to turn off various lights. It was obvious that the show was done for the night.

"Yes! We heard what people are wishing for!" Dweeb replied excitably, remembering the various children they had heard. It had been a wonderful recollection that still stood out in their minds.

But tonight was going to be far from wonderful.

"Well, I have a radio too. Let me show you." Screweyes looked over at the group, almost menacingly, and curiosity was instantly stomped out of their minds by the sudden eeriness and foreboding that swept through the empty circus ground.

"Nope, no way, nada, we don't want anything to do with you." Rex replied swiftly before gesturing to the young ones, stuck dead in the center of the verbal struggle and looking very much like they wanted to jump ship themselves. "Come on kids; come to the museum with us. The Museum of Natural Hist-"

His quick escape was instantaneously cut off by Screweyes, who was waving a roll of paper in his hand. Rex got the impression that the character before them held the kid's freedom in the palm of his hand.

"They're not going anywhere. They are under contract to me for a very long time." The professor stated with an air of brash finality as he pulled down a final switch, sending the whole circus ground into a shade of shadows.

The t-rex swallowed. Okay, definitely freedom. He looked sadly down at the two children, noticing that Cecilia had broken into a cascade frightened tears. Elsa flew down to the sobbing girl, and tried to at least stop the crying with a comforting wing.

"But these are the first children we've met." The Pteranodon protested as Rex moved his head into more level ground with the rest of the group.

"We like them." He backed, although knowing that his, or any of the others, objections probably would do anything to change the cold-hearted circus master's decision. Even Louie had tried to make the bad situation a little better.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright." He consoled, trying to at least stem Cecilia's crying somewhat. He had gotten her into this, after all, and he was going to get them out.

"Oh, I don't think so. Unless we can work something out with your friends here." Professor Screweyes articulated, voice sounding all the more like this was a sink-or-swim moment for the dinosaurs and kids. The next thing their eyes all focused in on was the screw in his left eye, glowing a sinister green.

The next thing they all realized was that they were in a huge tent, the main tent, and before them was a large object, with green pulsing lights. It was as though the cluster had walked into a horror movie, and right now, the ending was nowhere in sight. Rex shook himself out of a light daze, and carried out a quick headcount just to be sure everyone was still there. Like it or not, this t-rex wasn't about to let Professor Screweyes get a hold of any of his friends.

Dweeb looked back at the bigger dinosaur with a questioning glance, more namely saying 'how did we get here?'. Rex replied with a small shrug and fixed his eyes on the machine in front of them. Before they could understand exactly what was going on, Professor Screweyes opened the curtain and broke into speech.

"This is a time of loud wishes, yes, but even louder, fears. This," He now gestured to the large and eerie looking item behind him. "Is a fright radio. It picks up what people are scared to death of. You see, I find out what they're frightened of on this radio and that's what I try to give them with my circus. It's a public service." By this time, the dinosaurs and children had come a little closer, the overlarge radio piquing their curiosity. Rex personally couldn't understand the point behind what was being said; he had come into this time to grant wishes, not scare people, although he had to admit the dinosaurs had probably inadvertently done that already.

"But this is the station that comes in the loudest of all!" The professor announced with the finality of Dr. Frankenstein about to pull the switch that would bring his creation to life. The very atmosphere made them look over their shoulders a few times, just to be sure of no hidden spooks. Professor Screweyes moved the switch for a moment, then stopped at 'paranoid'.

What happened next could have been described as an explosion, but not of fire and metal. They all instantly learned the difference between the two radios at once, other than their size. For one, while the wish-radio had used the calm imagery of bubbles to portray children's wishes, the fright-radio seemed to spew out ghosts, shrieking, wailing ghosts. Now regretting the close seat, the dinosaurs and children hightailed to the other side of the circus tent. Voices seemed to break out among them, all giving into the cacophony of sounds.

"Monsters under the bed!"

"Monsters are gonna eat me!"

"Red eyes staring at me…"

"Monsters in the closet…"

The screaming and howling continued to rain down as the group huddled together. Rex now did not blame Dweeb at all for practically hanging onto him like a badly spooked friend in a walkthrough haunted house, the situation definitely felt like a b-rated movie. Screweyes came to the front, pushing through the ghostly figures like one would walk through a curtain.

"Do you see what they're most afraid of?" He asked, grinning oddly at them.

"No." Woog was the one to reply; he was right, it had all been a little confusing when you had people screaming all around you in the manner that reminded you of a late-night horror flick.

"Monsters!"

"Monsters?" Rex repeated, somehow getting an odd impression of what was happening here. They were being backed into a corner, and the chances of getting out were getting slimmer by the minute.

"You!" Screweyes resoundingly answered back, shocking all the dinosaurs. Brought to make wishes come true, yet they weren't wanted at the same time?

"Us?!"

"With a little help, yes." The old man held up a jar of greenish glowing capsules.

"W-what's that?" Cecilia asked, shakily pointing to the container.

"It's Brain Drain, the remedy to my brother's goody-two shoes cereal! It'll take you back. It'll make you monsters." He finished the last sentence with such a hiss that the pair of kids backed up a little further toward their dinosaur friends, eager for some method of safety in this hopeless situation.

"But we don't want to be monsters." Woog protested, and Dweeb let out a sound that was interpreted as a final 'no'.

"We're not taking anything. You can forget it." Rex replied with defiance etched in his voice.

"All right. You're free. You can go. I can't stop you," Screweyes carefully put the container away, and for a moment, it seemed as though things were looking up a little. But the rogue circus master still had one more card to play. ", but the kids…are mine."

Leaning forward, they were all stunned to see what looked like whirls of green, and dizzying sparks; the work of hypnotism. Swirling in an oddly mesmerizing way, they drifted right toward Cecilia. She started to raise an arm stiffly, like a sleepwalker.

"W-What are you doing? Don't look, Cecilia!" Louie cried, placing a hand over the girl's eyes, only to have the beam turned on him with its ensnaring charms. The swirling control hazed into their faces for a moment, then vanished into them.

"Among my many rights under this contract, including copyrights on all their ideas, I've got an exclusive option on their will power." Screweyes explained, delicately taking one pill, and breaking it in half, which he handed to the two hypnotized children. "Now this is just a temporary dose. My way of demonstration."

Each child swallowed their respective half, and the dinosaurs gasped in horror as their friend's forms began to contort, change, and shift, until, with a final green flash, they became…

…Monkeys. Two little monkeys dressed in Louie and Cecilia's clothing. Louie even started to chew on his hat.

Rex felt a ripple of outrage, probably stemming from some long-forgotten counterpart, to whom rage was power.

"Change them back! Or I'll-"

"Or you'll what? You're too enlightened by my brother's brain grain, you've lost your savagery, you've lost your frightening prehistoric power to intimidate!" Professor Screweyes thundered, dropping a banana down on the two monkeys, who clamored for it like two starving dogs. "You're civilized now, and I've got a contract. And you're going to respect that like the chumps that you are. But, I tell you what I'd be willing to do, you all agree to take the Brain Drain, and I'll rip up this contract and set the kids free. If you don't take it, I'll bill them as the Wild Children of the Hellzapoppin, and I'll use them to scare people at the side show. It's up to you."

Now things had gotten worse, decidedly to the point where it would have made any game-player stop and put the board back on the shelf, or hit reset. But in this case, no reset button came as a savior, and there was no turning your back on this problem that had evolved into more of a catastrophe.

Friends. They do things for each other. They help each other. Rex thought as he turned the situation over and over in his mind, knowing full well what would happen if he said yes. With the Brain Drain came the monster within that he had been glad to be rid of, but if he said no, he'd lose Louie and Cecilia.

With a deep breath, the t-rex uttered, quiet and defeated, "I'll take it."

"And I'll take it, you loathsome creature." Elsa answered, defiant, but still submitting.

"I'll do it." Dweeb choked, a small tear running from his eye.

"Me too." Murmured Woog, also tearing up.

The group was aware that they had just sold themselves away, freedom pulled off like a fisherman would skin a fish.

"Now you can come with me. You're going to have to be kept in cages and chains, because you're going to be wild again!" Screweyes ordered as the dinosaurs dejectedly filed out behind him. Well, all but one.

The sound of small voices and yawns brought Rex to a momentary halt, and he turned around to see the two children-turned-chimps huddle up on the floor, and slowly drift off to sleep.

He looked down gently at the slumbering chimps that were Louie and Cecilia. Noting, with a small twinge of sadness, both the children's faces seemed to be in a frowning set, as though they were still under Screweyes's control.

"Don't be scared. It'll be alright. It's no more than a bad dream." He soothed, softly running a clawed hand along the excess fur, as though to will it vanished. And vanished it did.

Rex smiled as he viewed the two sleeping children, wishing that he could stay and greet them once they woke up. But a harsh voice from the mouth of the tent broke the warm moment.

"C'mon you!" Screweyes snapped, and Rex let out a heavy sigh. He wanted to stay longer, but he knew it wasn't going to happen. He was going to be a monster again, and there wasn't anything he could do. The t-rex had agreed to save Louie and Cecilia, and now there was no turning back. He just had to tell them one thing, just so that maybe, not everyone would think of him and the other dinosaurs as monsters.

"We were friends for a minute, Louie." He started to say, but was cut off by a hard lump in his throat.

He had to go now. He got up to leave, heart aching with the words that he had wanted to say.

"Rex…?" Louie mumbled in his sleep, causing the kind-hearted T-Rex to swallow his guilt and sorrow before turning to go.

"Remember me." He murmured mournfully back, before turning fully towards the exit, walking to what he knew would be the end of himself.


	2. Outer Monster

Rex caught quickly up to the other dinosaurs, but took as long as he could to march from the tent to another one, bigger and more spacious than the last. There were four ominous looking cages dead center, which the dinosaurs leaned away from, knowing all too well what they were for. Screweyes, however, hadn't torn up the contract yet, and one by one, they were forced to walk into the iron-barred cages. A few circus workers, looking at the dinosaurs with eerily unreadable expressions, came in to put on a few shackles.

Dweeb pulled away at first, whimpers emerging from his throat as he struggled to avoid being chained up like the rest of them. The man that was fruitlessly trying yelled a few incomprehensible words at the scared Parasaurolophus, none of which probably were fit to translate.

"Dweeb, just let him." Rex murmured, defeat and indifference evident in his voice. The smaller dinosaur gave a shudder as he finally allowed the worker to fasten the chains to his feet. It wasn't the ice-cold metal against his scales that brought the jittery moment; it was the fact that Dweeb and the other dinosaurs now noticed the sadness that seemed to hang over Rex like a cloud.

Screweyes stepped out of the shadows once all the dinosaurs had been properly shackled, still holding that ever-constraining paper in his hand. In his other, he held a bucket filled with glowing green Brain Drain. This he poured into a set of trays, and placed each at the doors of the cages.

"The contract won't be ripped up until the final part of the deal is complete." The shifty ringmaster stated, gesturing obstinately to the trays. There was a long period of tense silence, before Rex shakily reached down, plucking up the tray with wavering claws. He closed his eyes for a moment, just briefly running through all the adventures he'd had seen during his short time in the Big Apple, and his growing dread at exactly how this new outlook on life was going to end.

He looked around at the other dinosaurs, giving each of them a good long glance. A

fter all, once this was over, they would be thought of as…

No, don't even think of the word 'food'.

"You don't take it, the brats stay with me." Screweyes reminded menacingly.

Snapping out of the nostalgic moment, the apprehensive reptile gave the green pills one last glance before gulping them down in what felt like an oddly too-fast manner.

Right away, Rex felt an old presence rise in his mind. The old carnivore, the side that he never wanted to let out again, no matter what the case.

Yet, here it was, shoving him into submission as _he_ took control. There was no degrade, just surrender. He was faintly aware of the others, looking at him in a mixture of fear and sadness.

Then it was all gone.

It was as though he were looking at everything from somewhere deep within his mind, yet he could feel everything that happened.

Like the fact that his 'other' had just thrown them [or him, either way, he felt it too] against the bars of the cage, biting in savage ferocity. The metal in his teeth, the coolness of the material, it was all too real.

It wasn't him… It wasn't him…

Oh, I don't think so.

Rex stiffened, or he would have.

It couldn't be, could it?

He wouldn't…

Do not underestimate me, weakling. It is not 'me'…it is 'US'!

His voice, it was like his, so much like his that it shook him to his core. Then his eyes landed on the other dinosaurs. They were looking right at him in a manner that suggested they had seen Godzilla himself. And they were looking at him like that.

He didn't…this wasn't… Rex's mind spiraled down into pure repulsion as his memories, somewhat fogged, came up with those olden, prehistoric days. Except in those cases, the other dinosaurs rarely got away. For a few moments, he silently thanked the fact that there were firm metal bars in between them and him. He was faintly aware of shouted commands, a zinging feeling running through his mouth, collapsing against the back of his cage, and everything grayed out for him after a while, even though he was sure he was still moving.


	3. Separate But Whole

Savage Rex's POV 

I couldn't see anything right away, but I knew that I wasn't alone. There were others beside me, growling, clanking, and overall being very annoying. Annoying for a couple of meatloaf and chicken dinners, anyway. Shut up!I growled at one, who instantly made to move away, yet still growled and attempted to break free from the irritating metal things we had on our feet.

This I found pleasing, being the one that sent Triceratops running in a panic, only to be brought down later by my teeth. Each and every one of these others in here would become lunch as soon as we were let out.

_No…You can't…_

Hmm?

_They're friends…don't…please…_

I brushed aside the annoying voice like a cobweb.

That other side better shut his mouth if he knew what was good for him.

And speaking of being let out, the walls holding us fell away with a burst of light, revealing a sea of frightened little dinner entrees. I snapped and roared to the herd, and a few of these pathetic creatures actually dropped right there on the spot. Most scrambled for high ground. Charming, but these prey would be too easy to snare. Not much fun if they all did that.

My attention was caught by one of these creatures in front of me, gesturing and speaking to the group. Was he the leader? Pretty sorry excuse for one, but nonetheless, my other half felt a surge of resentment once we laid eyes on the frail being. Doesn't like him much does he?

Well, I guess that meant he wouldn't complain if I happened to eat this one.

With that vague thought in mind, I leaned my head down and prepared to snap him up like a TV dinner. Surprisingly enough, it seemed I had underestimated these meals. As soon as his left eye met mine, which was embalmed with a shiny metal object, I felt as though I was a puppet and he was the one pulling the strings. My other half fell to his tricks a second after I did, and we both found ourselves in a state of utter bliss.

_Take two giant steps forward._

I instantly obeyed, taking one huge step, and then another, and I was dimly aware of the fact that I was off the platform. It didn't seem to matter at the moment.

_Take two steps toward the audience_.

I obeyed again. The hazy feeling enveloped all my usual keen senses, and right now I was as powerless as a hatchling. Something from my other's memory, of two whelps becoming ugly little hairballs right in front of his eyes, due to the same bauble. He was horrified, from what I could tell.

Stupid. Our kind doesn't know fear. We _are_ fear.

Suddenly a bright light shone right into my eyes, snapping us out of the daze.

_**That annoying meat-bag used me!** _

I was not a source of cheap amusement, and I sure as heck was going to let him know it. My other side was enraged as well, and in our anger we became the monster that the other dinosaurs feared once more. The tyrannosaurs rex was back on the hunt. In a quick movement, we snatched him up from the ground, ready to bite that annoying head right off his withered neck. We were going to make him pay when another bother came running onto the scene. Even though the creature's garbled sounds made no sense to us, my other half seemed to recognize him in a heartbeat.

_Louie?_

I growled at the brat. He had better back off, or else he'd be short a head.

_No! Leave Louie alone!_ My other half cried from the depths of our being as the whelp seemed to plead with me. Me! The king of the dinosaurs! He had no idea whom he was dealing with.

He turned around to pries off that ridiculous thing he had been wearing. Big mistake, welt. I lifted up a huge foot, ready to tenderize him into the dust.

_Stop! Don't! Please!_ The other pleaded as he saw what I was about to do. In a last ditch, desperate attempt to save his precious brat, he shrieked _LOUIE! MOVE!_

By some miracle, the meat-bag seemed to hear him as he jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding our foot. My other released a wave of relief, but it mingled with a deep sorrow and shame.

_Louie saw…he…what I…I almost…._

Shut up, I growled at the shadow in the back of my mind, which seemed to take in what I had said, and then another voice came echoing in.

_"Rex, that means king. Be a king, Rex. Put him down, please."_

I was about to give him another go at my foot when the next voice shocked me half out of my wits.

_You heard what he said. Put him down._

My other half was now, stronger? Was I losing control? I pushed at his mind in an attempt to regain control. But, surprisingly, he fought me. He pushed back in a fevered try to topple me.

_**Give up. You are me. Even if you are in control, I'll be here, waiting to take over. You are as much a monster as I. But even if you were to take control, you'd still be too much of a weakling to withstand me forever.** _

He faltered, and sadness and defeat radiated off his mind in waves. He would never escape, and I would be in control. Forever.

My other suddenly ceased the confusion. Echoing voices started to flow through our minds….

_"I'm sorry about the way I acted. I was a real animal."_

_"Gonna have to put you in cages and chains, cause you're gonna be wild again!"_

_"Gee, I wish I had a friend."_

I flinched as the voices started to develop into images, and they slowed down on one particular moment. My other half flinched as he laid eyes on the scene, remembering and soaking in every detail.

_He looked down gently at the slumbering chimps that were Louie and Cecilia. Noting, with a small twinge of sadness, both the children's faces seemed to be in a frowning set, as though they were still under Screweyes's control._

_"Don't be scared. It'll be alright. It's no more than a bad dream." He soothed, softly running a clawed hand along the excess fur, as though to will it vanished._

_And vanished it did._

_Rex smiled as he viewed the two sleeping children, wishing that he could stay and greet them once they woke up. But a harsh voice from the mouth of the tent broke the warm moment._

_"C'mon you!" Screweyes snapped, and Rex let out a heavy sigh. He wanted to stay longer, but he knew it wasn't going to happen. He was going to be a monster again, and there wasn't anything he could do. He had agreed to save Louie and Cecilia, and now there was no turning back. He just had to tell them one thing, just so that maybe, not everyone would think of him and the other dinosaurs as monsters._

_"We were friends for a minute, Louie." He started to say, but was cut off by a hard lump in his throat. He had to go now. He got up to leave, heart aching with the words that he had wanted to say._

_"Rex…?" Louie mumbled in his sleep, causing the kind-hearted T-Rex to swallow his guilt and sorrow before turning to go._

_"Remember me." He murmured mournfully back, before turning fully towards the exit, walking to what he knew would be the end of himself._

I snorted as the image faded.

Remember? What was there to remember? We are predators. That is what we are, that is what we were, and that is what we shall always be. My other was stupid to think that we could be thought of as anything else.

_Remember me…_

What was he up to now?

_**Shut it.** _

_No, you stop._ He said boldly back. Strength radiated off of him in powerful waves. No, what was happening?! I was the stronger one, the one that should be in control. How could a mere, insignificant worm overcome one of the greatest predators the world had ever known?!

_You aren't me! You don't decide anything I do anymore! I will never listen to you again! You are the monster but, I…AM… **REX!!! I AM NOT YOU!!!**_ My other roared, and, in that instant, I became the echo, and he took control. I faded into our minds with a final howl, and then felt and saw nothing more.

Normal Rex's POV

Coming back was sort of like coming up out of the water. I took a deep inhale, vaguely aware of the still quivering professor in my hands. The monster that had held the driver's seat faded into nothing, and I knew that he was gone, never to return.

Exhausted from the effort it took to get myself back, I put the professor down, where he slinked away like a rat relinquished by a housecat, and moved to a sitting position on the ground. That's about when I saw the person that had made it all possible that night. Louie, my friend, came running up to me and latched onto my nose in a warm hug.

"Way to go, Rex!" He cheered.

I watched as he and Cecilia went to the others and, one by one, brought them back from their own inner demons. That's about when Professor Neweyes came and set them free with Vorb. It was good to see them all, but a nagging feeling pulled at the back of my mind. I remembered all the feelings and thoughts my other side had had while in control, and I couldn't help but think: We didn't hurt anybody, did we?

"Louie?" I asked, unable to hold the question any longer.

"Rex? Are you alright?" he inquired with a look of concern.

"Did I do anything bad?"

"No, you were great." He replied with a grin that returned a smile to my face, and right then and there I knew everything was going to be just fine.


End file.
